I will break hands and legs of anyone who disrespects or kills cows: Muzaffarnagar riot accused BJP MLA Vikram Saini

HIGHLIGHTS

Vikram Saini was accused of making inflammatory speeches and rioting, in Muzaffarnagar in 2013

The riots killed at least 62 people

His comments on assaulting those who disrespect cows come at a time when the UP government is cracking down on abattoirs

BJP UP MLA Vikram Saini (Photo: ANI)

NEW DELHI: Even as his party colleagues tried to shut him up, a UP BJP legislator accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots case said yesterday he will “break the hands and legs of anyone who disrespects or kills cows.”

Saini, who was arrested under the National Security Act for his role in the deadly 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, has rioting and criminal intimidation cases filed against him.

“Any person who is unwilling to say ‘Vande Mataram’, or isn’t proud to voice nationalistic slogans, or doesn’t consider the cow to be a mother, or kills cows, I promise I will break their hands and legs,” said Vikram Saini, BJP MLA from Khatauli in UP, who was attending a felicitation event for another legislator.

Saini’s comments were met with effusive applause from the audience at the event, but his party colleagues were highly discomfited and tried to stop him from speaking, Navbharat Times reported

The legislator’s comments come even as the state’s new BJP chief minister Adityanath is leading the charge to crack down on what he insists are unlicensed abattoirs but what critics say are targets of a pro-Hindutva agenda.

Adityanath’s party colleague Saini said he was fully on board the cow-protection agenda. He said he has a “team of young people” fully ready to commit to protect cows as well as to guard the safety of India.

The team is such that if there is war with Pakistan or China, its members will go fight on the borders even without a salary,” Saini said.

The legislator belongs to a village called Kawal, the epicenter of 2013’s Muzaffarnagar riots that killed at least 62 people. At the time he was the village chief. He was accused of making inflammatory speeches and rioting and was also sent to jail.

ALL THAT HE SAID:

Saini said that he has a team of youngsters.

Emphasizing on the kind of team he has, Saini said that his team of people would not even hesitate to participate in the India-China war in future. He added that they can participate without expecting an income.

Addressing crowd he said, “You understand law because I am not well-read.”

HOW OTHERS RESPONDED TO THE CONTROVERSIAL COMMENT

To the controversial comments made by Vikram Saini, BJP leader Suresh Rana said that Saini didn’t mean to say that what has been interpreted. Rana said that all he meant was now that Yogi Adityanath’s government is in power, no body will engage in crimes.

Suresh Rana also said that the government will work in favour of Uttar Pradesh farmers and that people are happy with Prime Minister narendra Modi and his schemes for the people.